Coin chute



N. A. NELSON Jan. 30, 1951 COIN CHUTE Filed Aug. 20, 1945 Cal/V [UNTIOLLA'D .DEV/CE INVENTOR. Web a? jS eifiom Patented Jan. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES. PATENT; OFFICE COINCHUTE Nels A; Nelson, Chic'ago,:l'.ll., assignorto Raymonda; 'I. lMoloney,v Chicago, 111., H

Application August- 20,"1945, Serial No. 611,544

3 Cla msasai Cl. 194*?797)n This; invention:pertains :to 'coin 'handlingz-andizr 'v testing "devices and has, a itsprincipal object. theii' provision of fraud-preventive means for "use with 1": coin chutes and .coin'-'-'controlled machines;v and? operatingto prevent theuse :of so-icalled :captive' 1 coins Erfraudulent operation? of various coin controlled-devices;:that is to sayi'coinsotherwise valid"; but which have'-'attached ito ".thein "a finer i'. wire or thread'tby'meansoi which they are caused to traverse, and be accepted by; the usual types: a

of coin testing'device, and which are-thereafter 1 manipulated "by the' attached wire or thread to 1 cause repeated or otherwise fraudul'entoperation of thecoin-controlled machine:

More particularly, it is an object' of the {invention to." provideha. coin-control device adapted to receive" 'a coin ielem'ent and guide gravitating 1:: movementiof vthe same into momentary operative relationship with ca coin-operated "switch 'or pthe" like, Hand thereafter" guide the coin relative to certain. fraud-preventive means:adapted=to pre ventir'etraction of the coin, if it be'captive; back" into" operative engagement with th switch:

Furtherobjectsrelate to "the provision of "a coin-control device in the nature ofa" coin chute which -inay"b'eattachedto known-types of coin testing" chute, or which "may' be used i alone "to receive a coin directly from'any sourcey-to the provision in such coin' 'chute of coin-*runway means for guiding the transitof a coin in alter-' nate downward direction 'therethroughy to the arrangement of a control switch'with regardto a terminal portion of the runway suchthata coinmust have momentumto carry it into opera tive relationship with "the-switch; otherwise the" coin will drop-past the-switch without operating" it; .to theprovision' of formation adjacent said terminal part of the runwaysuch that-if the coin" be captive; the wire or threadwilrbecome lodged" in said formation" andeffoits'to retract the cap" tive coin will bedefeated by jamming of the coin with'parts of the runway adjacent said formation'rto the'provisionin said runway of additional formationsadapted to deflect acoin initsdown I45 thri'iugh'whieha defrauding-wire or probe 'will'" passt harmles'sly, instead of being deflected i along i ward movement, butalso providinggopenings the*'coin passagetoward the .coinswitch'where they-canbemanipulated to cause-frauduleritnperation of said switch;

Additional objects and aspects" of "novelty''in the :inventiohrelate" to details of construction and."

operation "of the preferred embodim in the; drawing;, in which:

merits a side elevation of thanovel' flaw i entf illu strated'i;':'. I

Y of 'intended'iandiprpper diameter must-:hayem mentum enough'fto carryit' into operative engagepreventiveiv chutewith the cover plate removed :5;

Fig.:;2 is a side elevation of the novel control-H chutainassembled relation with a conventional cointesting chute,::with-a schematic control circuitifori-a': coin-controlled device;

Fig. 3 is arcrossisection alonglines 3-3 of Fig. l.

Referrin'g"to"Fig.:"1, the'novelcontrol unit is ri: preferably constructed as a metal stamping from plate IE] having opposite vertical margins struck: up to form sideiwalls H and a top attaching?v j fiangeiz -in;whichtare screw holes l3 by whichi: thedevice mayzbe securedzto :a coin chute; as in Fig-1'2.

Struck up from the body of plate-rm area plurality-of :a'ngularly disposed ears or lugs-"l4 con== stitiitingcoin-deflecting means with probe-passe ing spaces or openings" :15 therebetween,: there? beingadditional "ears or lugs "t6 below the first?" set of deflectingixlugsand constituting part of the coin runway means: "Runway lugs 16 also have probe-'passingnspaces ll therelcetween:

Fixed to the plate 10, as by weldingor thBllikGg; is a downwardly directed ledge or'runway'member'l8,'the lower end [9 of which is spaced from the defi'ecting'lugs I 5 and above runway lugs IE to provide room for" passage of a'coin downwardly toward and onto the' runway lugs Hi and a lower runway section 20;" also welded to plate ID.

Mountedon" the outer (rear) faceof plate It,

as by bracket means 25 is a leaf-spring switch '26 of knowmconstruction; and'one of the contact leavesor arms of this'sw-itch'has attached to the lower end thereof a coin-engaging plate 21 which proj'ects-horizohtally into the coin chute passage through'anopening 28 cut in the plate Ill, plate or bar 2l being'positioned opposite the lowermost" end'zo'f the second or lowerrunway-member 20, i

such that a coin rolling down-the latter would-1 tend' tofol'low a trajectory toward and'inta'engagementwith the switch bar 27, causing switch arm or blade-26 to be'flexed into circuit-closing engagement with its companion contact blade However, it is important to observe that the spacing'between"bar-"2! altar-the lower end 2| of runway'sectioriit'is such-"that coinsiof prede-a' termined or--l-ess"ithanpredetermined diaineter willdrop"betweenmoints 2i and 27"with'out en ga ing thelatter, that is without pressing'against switch-operating bar :27. In other "words, the spacing between'points" 2i and 2'5 is greater than" the; widest diameter of coin intended to; 'be re--v ceived :inihecontrol ehute: so that a coin even 3 ment with the switch member 21 if the switch means is to be actuated.

Another feature of importance is the provision of a wire or thread trapping formation or slot 22 in lower runway member 20 (see also Fig. 3), which is afiorded by cutting away portions of the side edge of this runway member so that the lower portions of the latter are narrower than the remaining portions thereof and narrower than the width of the coin passage afforded between main plate It and a cover plate [A, Fig. 3, which is fitted between side walls H and against the several lugs l4, l6 and runway members l8 and 28, as well as against addit onal coin-deflecting bars or angles 30 and 3| welded to plate [8 in the angled positions shown for purposes to be explained.

The fraud-preventive action of the novel device is illustrated in Fig. 1, wherein a captive coin C having a thread T attached thereto has been lodged in the device and permitted to descend past the lower end ll of the runway means, with or without also having caused an operation of switch means Ee -2T, depending on how' the coin has been manipulated, it being pointed out however that, becarse of the spacing at 2i-2'l, the coin must be dropped to a level where it will pass from runway 29 if the switch means is operated, and in these circumstances the coin will tend to assume the full-line position shown in Fig. 1, deflector 3| assisting in throwing the coin in a direction toward the lower end 2| of the runway, especially when retractive efiorts are applied to the thread T.

By reason of the fact that the lower end region 2! of the runway means is rounded-oil, as at 2 IA, Fig. 3, the tendency of the thread T is to pass into the i'elered or cut-away portion 22 with the coin C hanging in the full-line position shown in Fig. l; if now an attempt is made to retract the thread T and coin C, the latter will be raised into the dottedlne position of coin C it being noted that the position of the lower terminus ii] of the upper runway section is especially positioned above the lower runway sections 2l22 to assist such action, so that further retractive efforts on the thread will cause the coin to as sume the position occupied by the dash-dot coin C with deflector 3E3 assisting in the resulting jamming of the coin in this position, whereby it becomes practically impossible to work the captivc coin back into posit on where it might cause an operation of the switch means.

It will also appear that if a probe wire be caused to enter th control chute in the direction of thread I, and made to follow the runway section it, the lower end of such wire will in most cases pass through one of the spaces IE, but if such is not the case, but the wire is deflected downwardly by lugs i l, the end thereof will almost certainly then pass through one of the spaces ll or 22, since skillful manipulation of such wires becomes more diiflcult with each change in direction through the chutes.

The normal operation of the device is illustrated in Fig. 2, wherein there is shown a conventional coin-testing chut 59 adapted to receive a coin in the upper edge region thereof and to deliver the coin, if acceptable, from the lower edge region thereof into the auxiliary control chute 45 so that the accepted coin 42 will drop onto upper runway section I8, descend against deflecting lugs I l and runway lugs l6 and pass along lower runway section 20 to strike against wi shi e mi b e by de ire. sw tch.

contacts 2626A to close an energizing circuit via conductors 43, 44, battery or power source 45 to actuate the indicated coin-controlled device, the coin thereafter being guided out of the control chute 4| by deflector 3|.

The foregoing Specific description is not intended to be limiting excepting as may be expressly provided by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a coin chute, means defining a coin passage down which coins gravitate, oppositely pitched descending coin runway sections in said passage and one of the same having a terminal in approximately vertical alignment above the other, means forming a filament slot along a side of the lower one of said runway sections communicating into the terminal thereof to receive the attaching filament of a captive coin below said last-mentioned terminal, and means including a short deflector bar beneath said lower runway and pitched upwardly and away from said terminus to form with said lower runway an angular pocket narrowing upwardly for deflecting a coin which has graviated below said last mentioned terminal in a direction beneath said terminal and lower runway section, such that if said last-mentioned coin be captive, the attache ing filament thereof will move into said slot and lie in approximate parallelism with said vertical alignment of the terminals of the runway sections as aforesaid, retractive eifort on said filament in said slot and in approximate parallelism as aforesaid causing the captive coin to be raised against the underside of said lower runway section to jam the captive coin.

2. In a coin chute, a first downwardly pitched runway, a second downwardly pitched runway directed oppositely to the first runway, said first runway having a terminal approximately overlying the second runway, a coin-operated element spaced in an approximately horizontal sense away from the lower terminus of the second runway and at a distance from the latter to be engaged by a coin only if said coin moves with a velocity suflicient to bridge said distance and strike against said element, coins having lesser velocity dropping away from said element, and formations in the region of said terminus of the second runway, and extending away from said terminus in a general direction away from said coin-operated element, providing an opening in said second runway and of a width less than the thickness of a coin intended to be received in said chute, said opening being adapted to receive the attaching filament of a captive coin disposed below the level of said terminus of the second runway, and means for deflecting a retracted captive coin, having its attaching filament in said opening, into jamming position against the underside of said second runway together with means below the level of said terminus of the second runway and coin-operated element for deflecting coins in a general direction away from said element and toward said deflecting means.

3. In a coin chute, means for trapping captive coins including, a first downwardly pitched runway section, a second runway section below the first section and pitched in the opposite direc-.

sense asthe pitchof said first section, and a-- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 16 file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Cochran Oct. 8, 1889 Moulton Mar. 25, 1890 Long Dec. 13, 1904 Hendrickson Sept. 12, 1922 Vaughn Mar. 1, 1927 Hoyt Jan. 12, 1932 Long July 10, 1934 Weber Aug. 11, 1936 Gottfried Dec. 15, 1936 Mills Nov. 2, 1937 

